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WANTED Pitts rod type spring and locking tailwheel

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brooksmershon

Well-Known Member
Supporting Member
Joined
Feb 25, 2019
Messages
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Location
Ventura, California
Hi all,

I'm iterating on N262PD. The plane originally had a rod spring and Haigh on it when built by Peter Groves in Canada. Then it was converted to a J3 leaf spring that didn't quite fit the way I'd like it to on the build in flat weldment.

I'd like to go to a locking tailwheel again. I'm currently borrowing Doug Jardine's steerable tailwheel and rod type spring off a project Pitts in his garage.

At the very least, I'd like a steerable double fork and rod spring that is not a "loaner" to use for the foreseeable future. I'll need to match my fuselage weldment AN4 bolt holes, as they are not drilled to any standard. The front to rear attach point distance, however, is S1S standard.

Current setup just uses aluminum machined block to hold the rod spring. Two halves. Not perfect, but hopefully good enough for now until I can machine a better one.

Does anyone have parts that might help my tailwheel situation?

I admittedly only have one landing so far in moving the plane to a hangar to do more work (new prop spec'd by Nick Cain!!!, ADSB, alternator work, electrical gremlins). But the rod spring gets the tail lower and the three point speed lower. That seems nice.

Mr. Murray (neighbor) has Milk Run with a unique locking and steerable tailwheel. I'd love to have one of those, but I've never seen another Pitts with one on it. It looks like a Haigh with chains to it and a cable to release the locking mechanism.

Brooks

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